Thousands of Baby Birds Found Dead, Thousands More Saved After Spending Days Stranded Inside Truck

Yahoo

09-05-2025

Delaware's First State Animal Center and SPCA is caring for thousands of baby birds stranded in a delivery truck
The truck containing the birds was reportedly left for days at a USPS processing and distribution center due to a shipping mishap
Thousands of birds died while on the truck without food and waterRescuers found thousands of baby birds, alive and dead, left in a truck in Delaware for days amid a reported shipping mishap.
According to Delaware Online, the truck containing the young birds was left unattended for several days at a USPS processing and distribution center in New Castle after leaving Freedom Ranger Hatchery in Pennsylvania late last month.
While thousands of the birds died while on the truck, thousands survived and are now being cared for by the First State Animal Center and SPCA.
According to WBOC TV, the organization received the birds after getting an alert from the Delaware Department of Agriculture. The processing and distribution center where the birds were stranded contacted the Department of Agriculture for assistance following shipping delays and repeated rejections from distribution centers, per the outlet.
A spokesperson for the Delaware Department of Agriculture told PEOPLE that the agency was contacted by the USPS Delaware Processing and Distribution Center at 187 Quigley Blvd. in New Castle on May 2 about "undeliverable birds." In response, the agency "facilitated the transfer to the First State Animal Center later that day."
"We didn't know the size of the problem until they arrived at First State Animal Center, and our animal health staff was there helping the shelter provide care late into Friday night,' the spokesperson added.
The rescue center posted on Facebook on May 3 that the birds — including baby quails, geese, and chicks — were left in the heat for three days without water or food. The organization estimated it received between 3,000 and 5,000 birds from the incident, later increasing that number to over 10,000. A couple of thousand of the birds on the truck were "dead on arrival," the post noted.
The rescue shared in a separate Facebook post on May 5 that nearly half of the birds it received were in "stable but cautious" condition.
"I can't even describe the scene and the chore, to pull out the live birds from the deceased," First State Animal Center executive director John Parana told Delaware Online of searching the cardboard crates for survivors, estimating that 4,000 birds died in the incident.
"We think we have approximately 8,100 birds alive here, but we don't have a final count. When you look in our enclosures, it's hard to count because all you see is fluff," Parana added. "We've got a long road ahead of us."
Colyd Good, office manager at Freedom Ranger Hatchery, told the outlet that the birds, which were due to travel all over the country, left the hatchery on April 29.
"We experienced significant loss, and we haven't gotten any clarity from the post office as to why the trip didn't go through transit like it should have," Good said.
PEOPLE has contacted Freedom Ranger Hatchery for comment and has yet to receive a reply.
In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, a U.S. Postal Service spokesman said the agency is "aware of limited instances where there has been a breakdown in our processes and procedures with this type of shipment and we are actively investigating and identifying the cause," but did not provide any specific details regarding the Delaware incident.
"Local postal teams will work with affected customers to address their concerns and determine timely solutions for any issues with these shipments," the statement added in part. "We apologize to our customers who have experienced issues with their shipments."
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According to the U.S. Postal Service website, chicks can be safely transported without food or water within 72 hours of hatching.
The rescue center has asked for urgent donations to help care for the surviving baby birds, whom First State Animal Center will continue looking after until the birds are healthy enough to be adopted.
Read the original article on People